Excitement is ramping up for the 10th Annual Guns and Hoses charity hockey tournament as organizers confirm one lucky crowd member will be going home with two Westjet plane tickets to anywhere in the world the airline flies.
The popular family event pits the RCMP against Terrace firefighters in a competitive game of hockey with 100 per cent of proceeds going to local children through Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart for Kids program.
Terrace Canadian Tire owner Bryan Gascon said Guns and Hoses is by far the best attended, highest paying local fundraising event of the year for the program.
“I can’t say enough good things about our local fire department and RCMP detachment who get together every year, donate their time and come out to play an exciting game of hockey,” Gascon says. “It’s all for local kids to get into sports. Canadian Tire will look after all the advertising and marketing and all those fun things, so if you buy a seat in the stands all of that money will go to help a local kid get into sports.”
Gascon says one-third of children are unable to participate in sports due to the high costs.
In the past funds have gone to equipment and transportation costs for children in a variety of pursuits, including archery and swimming, in addition to the more mainstream sports like hockey.
Competitions similar to Guns and Hoses are held in communities across the country, but the Terrace face-off is known for drawing a crowd like few others. That’s thanks in part to Terrace businesses who have adopted the habit of buying multiple tickets at once and either giving them to children, or auctioning them off to raise further funds for Jumpstart.
President of the firefighters’ Local 2685, Jeffrey Minhinnick, also a founder of the Guns and Hoses match and member of the local Jumpstart chapter, says the event has the power of attracting people who have never before watched a live game of hockey.
“People are here to raise money for local kids. Seeing so many watching the game as well as benefiting from the game is really rewarding.”
Again this year first intermission will feature a crowd favourite of a Timbits hockey match, followed by the second intermission Puck Toss. The person who’s puck lands closest to centre ice will win two Gift of Flight passes from Westjet, tickets to fly anywhere in the world the airline services.
Guns and Hoses tickets are available at the door for $5, or from the Terrace RCMP Detachment or Terrace Fire Hall. Puck Toss tickets are $10 each. Doors open at 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 23 at the Terrace Arena. The puck drops at 6 p.m., an hour earlier than previous years.
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